MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 31.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 23,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,643 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $5,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 570.6% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 120.3% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. This trade represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 3,984 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.47, for a total value of $997,872.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,774,211.62. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,076 shares of company stock valued at $7,399,696 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $1.62 during trading on Monday, reaching $267.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,778,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,156,143. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $258.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $273.42. The company has a market capitalization of $96.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.71, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. CME Group's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. CME Group's payout ratio is 50.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CME shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup cut CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $256.80.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.